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JOSEPH  PEWSMITH 


A  QUARTER  GENTUHY 


FEB  2  1962 


1877 


BX  9211  .N57107 
Fewsmith,  J.  1816-1888. 
A  quarter  century 


A  QUARTER  CENTURY 


IN     THE 


SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


NEWARK.,   N.  J. 


XT     2   196: 


DCT     2   1061 
A    QUARTER   CENTURY. 


THE    SERMON 


PBEACHED  m 


The  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 

KEWAEK,  N.  J., 


BY  THE  PASTOB, 


JOSEPH  '4eWSMITH,   D.  D., 


TWENTY-FIFTH  ANNIVEESAEY  OF  HIS  INSTALLATION, 


SUNDAY,  DECEMBER  24,  1876. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    CONGREGATION. 


NEWABK,  N.  J. : 
A.  STEPHEN  HOLBROOK,  STEAM  PRINTER,  11  MECHANIC  STREET. 


u^- 


s  IB  i^  :]VL  o  n>T  . 


Deut.  vni :  2. 

And  thou  shalt  remember  all  the  way  which  the  Lord  thy  God  led  thee. 

Acts  xxvi  :  22,  23. 
Having  therefore  obtained  help  of  God,  I  continue  unto  this  day,  witness- 
ing both  to  small  and  great,  saying  none  other  things  than  those  which  the 
prophets  and  Moses  did  say  should  come  :  that  Christ  should  suffer,  and  that 
He  should  be  the  first  that  should  rise  from  the  dead,  and  should  show  light 
unto  the  people,  and  to  the  Gentiles.  * 

Both  gratitude  and  duty  suggest  the  propriety  of 
reviewing  from  time  to  time  the  years  that  are  past, 
that  we  may  the  more  distinctly  call  to  mind  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord,  and  may  praise  Him.  Such  a 
review  also  furnishes  us  sources  of  encouragement 
and  counsel,  as  we  go  forward  into  the  unknown 
future.  It  is  well  for  us  to  pause  and  think  that  our 
lives  are  not  ''parceled  out"  by  ourselves,  and  that 
the  strength  by  which  we  have  lived  and  accomplished 
anything  was  not  simply  our  own.  It  was  the  Lord 
our  God  who  led  us  all  these  years ;  who  appointed 
to  us  our  discipline ;  who  gave  us  our  prosperity. 
We  continue  unto  this  day  because  we  have  obtained 
help  of  God. 

Such  a  review,  too,  will  furnish  enough  to  make 
us  humble,  and  to  prevent  our  hearts  saying  in  their 
pride  :  "  My  power,  and  the  might  of  mine  hand  hath 
gotten  me  this  wealth ;"  will  call  us  to  bow  before  the 
Lord  with  confession,  as  well  as  thanksgiving,  and 
with  renewed  purpose  to  remember  Him,  and  to 
''keep  His  commandments." 


And  it  i^  a  happy  thing  when  one  reviewing  his 
life  can  discern  that  even  amid  much  weakness  and 
imperfection  he  has  faithfully  served  God ;  a  happy 
thing  when  he  can  use  Paul's  language,  when,  near- 
ing  the  close  of  his  ministry,  he  asserts  that  he  has 
been  faithful  in  bearing  the  testimony  of  the  Gospel 
to  all  classes  of  his  fellow  men,  and  has  preached 
only  the  truth  as  it  is  contained  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
illustrated  in  the  sufferings  and  death,  and  resurrection 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  its  power  to  enlighten 
and  save  those  who  receive  it. 

Five  years  ago  to-day,  I  preached  to  you  a  sermon 
on  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  beginning  of  my 
pastorate  among  you,  in  which  I  glanced  briefly  at 
some  points  made  prominent  in  a  review  of  the  past 
twenty  years.  Now  I  complete  a  quarter  of  a  cen 
tury  of  service  among  you.  It  will  be  almost  impos- 
sible entirely  to  avoid  repetition  of  thoughts  and 
statements  then  presented;  and  the  sermon  then 
preached,  and  in  your  hands  as  a  printed  history, 
must  modify,  somewhat,  my  present  re^dew  of  our 
relations  to  each  other,  and  the  history  of  my  ministry 
during  the  twenty-five  years.  I  hear  r<  v  >ice  saying 
to  me,  "thou  shalt  remember  all  the  way  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  led  thee,  to  humble  thee,  and  to  prove 
thee,  to  know  what  was  in  thine  heart,  whether  thou 
wouldest  keep  His  commandments,  or  no :  that  He 
might  make  thee  know  that  man  doth  not  live  by 
bread  only,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  doth  man  live.  For  the 
Lord  thy  God  bringeth  thee  into  a  good  land — a 
land  of  brooks  of  water,  of  fountains  and  depths 
that  spring  out  of  valleys  and  hills,   wherein   thou 


shalt  eat  bread  without  scarceness.  When  thou  hast 
eaten  and  art  full,  then  thou  shalt  bless  the  Lord  thy 
God  for  the  good  land  which  He  hath  given  thee. 
Thou  shalt  remember  the  Lord  thy  God :  for  it  is  He 
that  giveth  thee  power  to  get  wealth,  that  He  may 
establish  His  covenant,  which  He  sware  unto  thy 
fathers,  as  it  is  this  day." 

I  trust  that  both  you  and  .1  have  learned  some  of 
these  lessons  ;  and  I  think  I  can  say — "  Having  ob- 
tained help  of  God,  I  continue  unto  this  day,  witness- 
ing both  to  small  and  great,  saying  none  other  things 
than  those  which  the  propliets  and  Moses  did  say 
should  come :  that  Christ  should  suffer,  and  that  He 
should  be  the  first  that  should  rise  from  the  dead,  and 
should  show  light  unto  the  people,  and  to  the  Gentiles." 
What  Paul  preached  I  have  endeavored  to  preach  ; 
and  nothing  else.  Taking  the  Bible  as  the  revelation 
of  God,  and  thus  the  only  authoritative  source  of 
religious  knowledge,  I  have  endeavored  to  learn  its 
teachings ;  and  having  found  the  life,  sufferings, 
death,  resurrection  and  ascension  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  to  be  its  central  and  life-inspiring  truth,  I  have 
preached,  according  to  my  ability,  the  gospel  of  sal- 
vation through  faith  in  him — a  present  salvation,  the 
beginning  of  a  glorious  eternal  life  :  Jesus,  the  light 
and  life  of  those  who  believe  in  Him,  now  and 
forever. 

I  accepted  your  invitation  to  be  your  Pastor  in  the 
summer  of  1851,  while  I  was  occupying  a  professor- 
ship in  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary.  Of  the 
committee  who  conveyed  your  call  to  me,  one  (Jos. 
A.  Bowles)  has  gone  to  his  home  in  heaven,  one 
(Silas  H.  Kitchell)  some  years  ago  removed  to  a  dis- 


tant  westerfi  city,  the  third  (Isaac  Van  Wagenen)  is 
still  with  us  in  active  service  of  the  Church  and  his 
Lord.  On  the  9th  of  November  of  that  year,  I 
preached  my  first  sermon  as  your  minister,  taking  for 
my  text — Coloss.  iii:  11 — '' Christ  is  all  and  in  all"; 
and  on  the  23d  of  December  I  was  installed  as  your 
Pastor,  Of  those  who  took  part  in  my  installation, 
two  have  died :  Dr.  Richards,  who  gave  the  charge 
to  the  Pastor,  and  Dr.  Hay,  your  former  Pastor,  who 
gave  the  charge  to  the  people.  Dr.  Hickok,  who 
preached  the  sermon,  lives  in  a  green  old  age  at 
Amherst.  Mass.,  and  Mr.  Crowell  (now  Dr.  Crowell), 
who  presided  as  Moderator,  is  now  a  Pastor  at  Odessa, 
Delaware.  How  quickly  these  twenty-five  years 
have  passed,  and  what  changes  they  have  witnessed  ! 
And  yet  how  gradually  and  almost  imperceptibly 
have  they  sped  along,  making  their  many  changes 
quietly  and  without  great  shocks,  like  a  gentle 
autumn  dropping  the  leaves  upon  the  sunny  ground, 
and  then  the  bright  spring-time  returning  with  fresh 
breath  of  life,  and  new  growths  and  gladness  ;  the 
bells  of  time  ringing  with  soft  melodies  and  silvery 
tones,  ringing  out  the  old,  ringing  in  the  new. 

When  I  came  to  this  Church  the  number  of  com- 
municant members  was  399.  The  number  of  names 
now  on  our  roll  is  587.  871  persons  have  been  re- 
ceived to  our  membership  :  400  on  confession,  and 
471  on  letters  from  other  churches.  I  have  baptized 
314  infants  and  108  adults;  have  attended  718  fune- 
rals, and  have  performed  290  marriages.  Of  the 
dead  of  these  years  234  were  members  of  the  Church  ; 
amono-  them  the  nine  original  members  who  were 
living  with  you  when  I  came.     Five  elders,  Eobert 


Baldwin,  David  J.  Hays,  Morris  Stiles,  David  Dore- 
mus,  Wm.  R.  Sayre,  and  two  superintendents  of 
the  Sabbath  School,  one  out  of  office,  Mr.  George 
Rohde,  who  had  been  its  first  superintendent,  and  the 
other  in  the  active  duties  of  the  office,  Mr.  Wm.  R. 
Sayre,  are  also  included  in  the  number.  But  I  must 
here  remind  you  again  of  the  fact  that  it  has  been 
my  privilege  to  accompany  to  the  borders  of  the 
heavenly  land  quite  a  number  whose  names  are  not 
written  on  our  Church  reg-ister,  but  are,  I  feel  confi- 
dent,  recorded  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life.  Every 
Pastor  has  such  experiences, — and  they  are  often 
among  the  most  sadly  sweet  experiences, — when  we 
can  bring  some  souls  hitherto  estranged,  or  doubting, 
or  timid,  to  rest  in  Christ,  and  openly  and  most  cred- 
ibly to  manifest  faith  in  Him  ere  life  closes.  I  think 
of  many  such,  and  speak  of  them  for  my  comfort, 
and  for  the  praise  of  God's  grace.  At  the  same  time 
I  feel  sad  to  think  how  they  might  have  served  God 
and  enjoyed  His  service  if  only  they  had  given  them- 
selves to  Him  long  before,  and  how  others,  instead  of 
being  warned  now  to  seek  the  Lord,  may  take  ad- 
vantage of  their  example  to  delay.  Ah,  my  friends, 
the  opportunity  of  repentance  in  the  latter  days  of  life 
is  not  vouchsafed  to  all;  the  grace  of  God  which  leads 
to  repentance  is  not  assured  to  any  who  trifle  with 
present  mercies ;  and  a  deliberate  or  negligent  post- 
ponement of  known  duty  to  a  future  time  may  harden 
the  heart,  or  prepare  for  it  a  terrible  retribution. 

This  Church  has  borne  a  part  in  all  the  evangelizing 
efforts  of  the  time ;  in  home  and  foreign  missions,  in 
city  missions,  in  tract  and  bible  distribution,  and  other 
forms  of  Christian  activity  and  benevolence.     While 


8 

we  have  undoubtedly  come  short  of  the  measure  of 
our  ability,  yet  our  contributions  have  advanced,  and 
our  expenditures  for  Church  work  have  become  much 
larger  than  at  the  beginning  of  my  pastorate,  and  we 
have  been  characterized  by  a  punctuality  and  con- 
tinuity of  giving  which  are  important  features  in 
Christian  work.  For  the  last  few  years  we  have 
adopted  the  system  of  regular  Sabbath  contributions 
by  means  of  envelopes,  with  a  good  degree  of  suc- 
cess, though  in  the  last  two  years  there  has  been  a 
diminution  in  the  amounts  given. 

Our  Sunday  School,  now  in  its  62d  year,  and 
enrolling,  officers,  teachers  and  scholars,  422,  has  had 
a  constant  succession  of  faithful  officers  and  teachers; 
generation  after  generation  of  scholars  has  grown 
up  in  it,  and  year  by  year  it  has  furnished  many  to 
the  membership  ot  the  Church  and  the  kingdom  of 
Christ.  Its  contributions  for  many  successive  years 
to  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  and  to  other 
agencies  of  benevolence  and  evangelization,  have 
been  liberal,  and  the  educational  effects  of  such  habits 
of  well  doing  and  sharing  with  others  have  been 
most  happy.  Tliis  school  is  dear  to  our  hearts,  and 
God  has  used  it  for  His  glory. 

Our  Mission  School,  begun  more  than  22  years  ago 
in  a  small  room  over  a  stable,  transferred  after  a  time 
to  the  chapel  on  Hoyt  street  built  by  the  Presbyterian 
City  Mission  Society  and  subsequently  united  with  a 
younger  branch,  and  since  taught  in  the  lecture  rooms 
of  the  Second  Grerman  Church  on  Sussex  Avenue, 
has  for  several  years  maintained  an  enrolled  member- 
ship of  over  300, — last  year  it  was  343, — with  a  corps 
of  indefatigable  and  earnest  teachers.     It  has  been 


admirably  sustained  and  is  doing  great  good.  We 
have  always  been  interested  in  mission  work.  Mem- 
bers of  this  congregation  bore  part  in  the  Sunday 
School  enterprise  at  Roseville,  out  of  which  has 
grown  the  vigorous  and  noble  Church  there.  For 
some  years  we  sustained  in  large  part  a  Mission 
School  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  and  in  18.')3 
we  built  and  dedicated  a  commodious  chapel  on  State 
street.  After  several  years  of  service  that  enterprise 
was  abandoned,  and  the  building  was  given  to  the 
Third  German  Presbyterian  Church,  and  is  still  used 
by  them  as  a  house  of  Avorship.  The  Second  Ger- 
man Church  is  the  result  of  missionary  eiforts,  to 
which  we  contributed  both  workers  and  money,  and 
in  sustaining  it  from  year  to  year  this  congregation 
has  from  the  beginning  largely  aided. 

For  several  years  past  we  have  employed  a  Bible 
Reader  to  labor  amono-  the  families  in  the  res"ion 
about  our  Mission  School.  In  a  quiet  way  she  has 
been  doing  much  good,  relieving  the  physical  as  well 
as  spiritual  wants  of  many  suffering  ones  and 
carrying  the  light  of  life  to  many  saddened  homes 
and  hearts. 

The  cause  of  Temperance  has  always  been  en- 
couraged by  us,  and  the  acti^dty  and  usefulness  of 
our  Young  People's  Temperance  Society  in  the  last 
few  years  has  been  a  featui'e  of  special  and  great 
interest.  In  connection  with  the  Bible  Reader's  work 
they  have  done  great  good  in  our  mission  district. 
Rooms  have  been  hired  and  meetings  held  with  much 
success ;  and  for  some  time  past  a  preaching  service 
on  the  Sabbath  evenings  has  been  sustained  there 
with  encouraging  results  and  promise  of  future  en- 


10 

larg"ement.  Our  home  Sabbath  School  and  our  mis- 
sion work  are  two  most  efficient  and  all  important 
arms  of  evangelical  usefulness. 

God  has  blessed  us  in  this  quarter  century  with 
several  revivals  of  religion  ;  in  a  few  cases  resulting 
in  large  accessions,  but  for  the  most  ■  part  quietly 
bringing  in  little  clusters  of  converted  ones  to  the 
fold  of  the  Church. 

Our  relations  as  people  and  pastor  have  been  har- 
monious and  pleasant.  You  have  been  kind  to  me 
and  I  have  sought  to  be  faithful  to  you.  The  Session 
I  have  always  found  to  be  ready  and  judicious  coun- 
sellors. Various  circumstances  have  sometimes  hin- 
dered their  carrying  out  plans  of  visitation,  and 
other  work  which  they  designed  to  do  for  the  Church, 
but  they  have  never  failed  to  seek  what  seemed  to 
them  to  be  for  the  highest  good  of  the  congregation, 
and  for  the  glory  of  God.  Between  the  pulpit  and 
the  choir,  I  am  happy  to  say  there  has  been  an  un- 
broken harmony,  and  I  have  always  found  them  ready 
to  adopt  any  suggestions  which  I  had  to  offer,  and 
to  aid  me  in  promoting  true  devotion. 

I  have  said  the  congregation  have  always  treated 
me  kindly.  That  kindness  has  been  shown  in  various 
ways  :  in  your  several  spontaneous  additions  to  my 
salary,  until  from  $1500  it  has  reached  $4000,  with 
the  parsonage,  and  in  improvements  in  the  parsonage 
itself,  now  somewhat  venerable,  which  have  greatly 
contributed  to  the  comfort  of  my  family — and  in  the 
granting  of  prolonged  absences  on  two  or  three  oc- 
casions with  liberal  gifts  of  money.  Especially  two 
years  ago,  you  generously  gave  me  the  opportunity 
of  visiting  Europe,  with  part  of  my  family — a  privi- 


11 

lege  which  I  cannot  estimate  too  highly,  and  the 
benefits  of  which  I  trust  will  abide  with  me  always, 
and  perhaps  be  enjoyed  by  those  who  sent  me  abroad. 
During  this  quarter  of  a  century  we  have  contrib- 
uted not  a  few  members  to  new  churches  which  have 
sprung  up  in  the  city.  In  1851  the  population  of 
Newark  was  44,000.  It  may  now  be  stated  in  round 
numbers  at  123,000;  perhaps  it  would  reach  more 
nearly  125,000.  The  population  has  perhaps  changed 
almost  as  much  in  social  characteristics  as  in  numbers. 
There  has  been  a  great  disintegration  of  the  old 
families  which  formerly  gave  tone  to  society,  and  the 
introduction  of  new  elements — with  the  loss,  as  some 
among  us  feel,  of  many  things  desirable,  such  as  the 
simple  friendliness,  or  the  quiet  dignity  and  courtlier 
manners  of  the  olden  time ;  with  compensating  ad- 
vantages, others  think,  in  freedom,  and  enterprise,  and 
wider  diffusion  of  general  enjoyment.  How  greatly 
the  city  has  grown  in  extent — running  its  streets  up 
on  the  hills  and  over  towards  Orange,  and  out  upon 
the  meadows,  towards  Elizabeth  and  Bergen,  and 
compelling  the  building  of  a  new  town  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  :  how  it  has  improved  in  architecture, 
in  the  number  and  character  of  its  fine  residences  and 
stores,  and  public  buildings  and  chui'ches,  and  in  the 
condition  of  its  streets,  (some  of  us  remember  the 
old  "  Spring  openings"  in  our  public  streets,  an  annoy- 
ance and  a  disgust  to  pedestrians,  and  how  a  scow  was 
di'awn  with  horses  through  the  soft  mud  of  our  great 
thoroughfare — we  remember,  too,  what  an  advance 
it  was  when  we  could  have  an  omnibus  running 
through  Broad  street,  where  we  have  now  four  horse 
car  lines — )  how  its  commercial  and  manufacturing 


12 

interests  and  wealth  have  advanced,  giving  it  a  prom- 
inent place  among  the  cities  of  our  nation ;  of  its 
numerous  schools,  its  well  managed  excellent  public 
school  system,  developed  .within  the  penud  of  which 
I  speak — of  the  general  enterprise  and  activity  of  the 
people,  and  a  public  spirit  too  slow  of  growth  and 
manifestation  but  of  late  awaking  to  energy — of 
these  things  I  cannot  take  time  to  speak.  I  can  only 
thus  allude  to  them. 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  the  only  churches  north  of 
us  were  the  Methodist  Church  on  Quany  street,  (now 
Eighth  Avenue,)  and  the  House  of  Prayer  then  re- 
cently built.  Indeed  to  cross  the  "  Stone  Bridge," 
just  above  Clay  street,  was  almost  to  go  into  the 
country,  and  most,  nearly  all,  of  the  houses  there  now 
have  been  built  within  this  period.  Since  I  came 
seven  Presbyterian  Churches  have  been  organized 
within  our  present  city  limits,  making  the  whole  num- 
ber of  Churches  of  our  denomination  now,  16  ;  to 
which  should,  in  reality,  be  added  the  Bethany  Chapel 
Mission,  which  is  a  large  and  important  congregation 
though  not  formally  organized  as  a  Church.  Ten 
new  houses  of  worship  have  been  built  for  these 
Churches,  not  including  the  High  Street  Church 
which  was  finished  and  dedicated  soon  after  my 
coming.  Besides  these,  three  edifices  at  least  have 
been  renovated  and  greatly  improved,  and  several 
handsome  Chapels  have  been  erected,  including  our 
own,  which  was  dedicated  in  the  spring  of  1871. 
Our  house  of  worship  has  undergone  change  and 
improvement,  in  its  interior,  and  has  received  an 
organ.  Its  exterior  still  waits  for  the  hoped-for  change 
which  may,  if  possible,  make  it  ''  a  thing  of  beauty." 


13 

Meanwhile  other  denominations  have  equalled,  and, 
in  some  instances,  surpassed  ours,  in  their  increase, 
and  in  the  costliness  and  beauty  of  their  buildings. 
The  whole  number  of  houses  of  worship,  as  reported 
in  our  last  Directory,  is  83,  including-  10  Roman 
Catholic,  3  Jewish,  1  Universalist,  1  Swedenborgian. 
To  these  must  be  added  18  Mission  Stations,  some 
quite  important,  making  the  whole  number  of  places 
of  religious  worship  101 ;  besides  some  Mission 
Schools  not  included  in  this  list. 

The  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  Minis- 
try of  the  several  Churches  are  very  many.  I  cannot 
dwell  on  them.  Of  those  who  were  Pastors  in  this 
city  when  I  came,  only  two  remain :  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Stearns  of  the  1st  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr  Fish,  of  the  1st  Baptist  Church.  Dr.  Brinsmade 
then  Pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
Dr.  Abeel  of  the  Second  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church, 
are  now  living  in  the  city  without  pastoral  charo-e.  I 
can  count  up  forty-two  Pastors,  besides  myself,  includ- 
ing those  who  are  now  settled  here,  who  have  minis- 
tered to  these  Presbyterian  Churches  during  the 
period  under  re^dew.  But  two  of  our  Pastors  actually 
in  service  died  daring  that  time ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Row- 
land, of  the  Park  Church,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brayton, 
of  Calvary  Church.  Several  others,  I  recall  only  five 
or  six,  of  other  denominations  have  died  in  their 
charges  here.  I  have  officiated  by  preaching,,  and 
giving  charges  to  Pastors,  and  people,  at  between  35 
and  4()  ordinations  and  installations,  almost  all  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Newark  Presbytery,  and  have  borne 
my  share  in  the  general  work  of  the  Chm-ch,  in  the 
Presbytery  and  Synod  and  Assembly  and  public  insti- 


14 

tutions.  My  name  is  the  seventh  in  the  Hst  of  Pastors 
of  this  Church.  The  time  of  my  six  predecessors, 
(inckicling  the  six  months'  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Prentiss)  extended  over  just  40  years — my  own  term 
of  service  is  more  than  one-third,  about  two-fifths,  of 
of  the  hfe  time  of  the  Church.  Of  my  predecessors, 
only  one  is  hving,  the  Rev.  Georo-e  L.  Prentiss,  D. 
D.,  who  was  settled  November  6,  1850  and  dismissed 
April  15,  1851,  and  who  is  now  Professor  of  Pastoral 
Theology,  Church  Polity,  and  Mission  Work,  in  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York. 

Extending  our  view  a  little  beyond  our  city  limits, 
we  find  great  changes  in  our  Presbytery.  The  field 
that  was  occupied  by  the  Newark  Presbytery  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  has  greatly  increased  in  population,  and 
in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Churches.  Since 
the  reunion  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  formerly  known  as  the  Old  and  New  Schools, 
our  territory  has  been  much  restricted,  and  our  Pres- 
bytery now  numbers  but  six  Churches  outside  the 
limits  of  this  city.  Of  the  ministers  composing  the 
Newark  Presbytery  at  the  time  of  my  installation, 
only  six,  including  myself,  are  now  living  in  connec- 
tion with  it.  Let  me  here  bear  grateful  testimony  to 
the  very  pleasant  relations  which  have  always  existed 
between  these  ministers.  Both  in  the  Presbytery  and 
in  oui'  Pastoral  associations  there  has  been  a  most 
happy  harmony,  and  loving  respect  for  each  other,  and 
united  endeavor  to  discover  and  illustrate  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible,  and  promote  each  other's  prosperity 
and  secure  the  advance  of  Christ's  kingdom.  I  doubt 
whether  there  will  be  found  in  any  body  of  men  of 
the  same  number  and  equal  standing  in  scholarship 
and  ministerial  ability,  a  more  deUghtful  union. 


15 

The  Reunion  lias  been  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  important  events  in  our  recent  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory. It  was  a  sad  hour  wlien  in  1837  the  Church 
was  rent  asunder :  though  doubtless  God  overruled 
the  separation,  and  the  life  of  the  two  distinct 
branches,  for  g-ood  in  many  respects.  But  it  was  a 
glad  hour  when,  in  18G9,^at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  the  two 
sundered  portions  flowed  together  into  one  ;  and  when, 
in  1870,  the  one  Assembly  of  the  reunited  Church 
met  in  Philadelphia,  and  addressed  itself  with  one 
heart  to  the  common  interests  of  the  whole  Church, 
the  common  work  of  Christ  It  was  a  grand  triumph 
of  Christian  principle,  of  Christian  charity  and  liber- 
ality. It  was  a  healing  of  breaches,  a  subduing  of 
animosity,  an  awakening  of  confidence,  whose  mani- 
festation was  beautiful,  whose  effect  has  been  most 
salutary.  The  event  has  passed  into  history,  and  will 
adorn  the  annals  of  our  Church  and  our  country. 
The  Church  is  putting  forth  her  strength  in  the  Lord's 
service.  Already  we  are  beginning  to  forget  that  we 
were  ever  two  divisions;  "like  kindred  drops,"  we 
have  been  mingled  into  one  and  are  working  together 
in  love.  We  have  a  glorious  Church  organization, 
with  a  sound  basis  of  doctrine,  and  admirable  system 
of  government,  a  wise  mingling  of  law  and  liberty, 
of  freedom  of  thought  and  investigation,  with  rever- 
ence for  the  carefully  digested  views  of  the  Confession, 
and  for  the  supreme  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptm'es  ; 
a  grand  field  for  growth  and  conquest  for  Jesus  spread 
before  us  ;  a  well  trained  ministry ;  a  constituency 
comprising  sound  practical  sense,  true  enterprise  and 
energy,  and  thorough  education,  and  material  resour- 
ces ;  with  Theoloorical  seminaries   and  colleges  and 


16 

schools  ;  and  a  public  opinion  that  demands  spiritual 
life  as  essential  to  a  Christian  character,  and  that 
favors  revivals,  and  reforms,  and  all  healthy  progress. 
A  noble  history  lies  behind  us.  God  grant  that  the 
future  may  be  worthy  of  the  past,  and  of  our  high 
privileges.  May  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
we  form  a  part,  be  true  to  her  trust,  and  her  opportu- 
nities !  May  she  do  her  part  to  make  this  a  righteous 
nation,  as  well  as  to  save  multitudes  of  souls  here, 
and  in  heathen  lands,  to  the  Redeemer's  glory  ! 

The  period  covered  by  my  pastorate  has  been  one 
of  intense  interest  in  the  history  of  our  country  and 
of  the  world.  The  nations  have  passed  through  trials 
of  war,  and  the  cause  of  human  liberty  and  the  ele- 
vation of  men  to  a  higher  plane  of  intelligent  citizen- 
ship, has  made  no  little  advance.  Look  in  what 
direction  you  will,  and  you  cannot  fail  to  perceive 
that  man  has  made  progress  in  these  twenty-five 
years,  that  the  world  is  not  what  it  was  a  quarter  of 
a  century  ago.  Some  of  the  most  important  inven- 
tions, some  of  the  greatest  improvements  in  naviga- 
tion and  manufactures,  some  of  the  ablest  discus- 
sions of  principles  bearing  on  human  freedom  and 
social  elevation,  have  occurred  within  that  period. 
There  has  been  a  wonderful  *'  waking  up  of  nations," 
a  terrible  testing  of  old  systems,  and  in  many  cases 
a  com]3lete  overthrow  of  them.  The  accumulations 
of  the  past  have  projected  themselves  on  our  time, 
and  made  it  one  of  the  grandest  periods  of  history. 
Right  in  the  midst  of  its  movements  we  cannot  esti- 
mate them  as  they  will  appear  in  the  light  of  the 
future.    But  with  the  exception  of  a  few  great  epochs 


17 

there  has  never  been  a  period  of  such  intense  interest 

and  importance.    Other  ages  tell  on  this.     Other  men 

labored  and  we  have  entered  into  their  labors.     But 

unquestionably  we  have  been  living- 

"  In  a  grand  and  awful  time, 
In  an  age  on  ages  telling/' 

and  it  may  well  make  us  serious,  dear  friends,  to-day, 
as  we  reflect  on  the  past,  and  ask  whether  we  have 
borne  our  part,  faithfully,  manfully,  christianly,  in  the 
grand  movement.  The  growth  of  our  own  country 
has  been  remarkable  ;  and  we  have  gone  through  a 
great  war,  which  severely  tested  our  national  strength, 
and  out  of  which  we  have  come  a  Nation  still ;  the 
weeds  of  mourning  entwining  themselves  with  our 
garlands  of  victory,  and  remnants  of  animosity 
embittering  some  hearts,  but  more  decidedly  than 
ever  one  nation,  under  one  flag,  with  one  consti- 
tution, and,  spite  of  all  temporary  and  local  excite- 
ments, with  one  undercurrent  of  patriotic  loyalty. 
And  as  one  of  the  grand  results  of  the  strife.  Slavery 
has  been  abolished  from  our  country.  The  negro 
race  among  us  has  been  emancipated.  Liberty  has 
been  won  for  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land.  In  the 
history  of  this  quarter  century,  these  two  events  will 
be  prominent :  the  war  for  the  Union,  and  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  slaves.  And  as  I  look  back  upon  the 
struggle,  and  try  to  review  the  course  and  position 
which  your  Pastor  adopted  in  his  conscientious 
endeavor  to  inculcate  a  Christian  patriotism,  to  uphold 
Law  and  Liberty,  to  stand  for  the  Nation  and  for 
God,  I  am  thankful  to  be  able  to  say,  that  I  find 
nothing  to  regret.  Besides  this  great  strain  and  trial, 
our  country  has  passed  through  seasons  of  commer- 


18 

cial  disaster  and  distress — notably  such  a  season  was 
that  of  1857.  But  perhaps  still  more  trying  is  the 
protracted  period  ot  dullness  of  trade,  loss  of  profits, 
bankruptcy,  and  disturbance  of  labor,  and  pressure  of 
pov^erty,  through  which  we  are  now  passing.  These 
are  parts  of  God's  discipline  of  us  as  a  nation.  May 
He  give  us  grace  to  learn  the  lesson  and  make  the 
chastening  a  blessing  to  us.  The  distress  of  1857 
was  followed  by  a  glorious  revival  of  religion,  and 
prepared  us  for  prosperity  and  also  for  the  trials  of 
the  war  which  came  after  it.  May  this  distress  be 
succeeded  by  a  gracious  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  a  large  ingathering  into  His  kingdom — with 
a  return  of  prosperity  guarded  by  dearly  bought 
righteousness. 

And  it  is  a  matter  of  no  little  interest  that 
the  close  of  my  quarter  century  is  coincident  with 
our  national  Centennial  year.  The  events  of  this 
year,  wliich  has  made  us  all  more  studious  of  past 
history,  more  fond  of  our  country,  more  generous 
towards  all  other  nations,  more  self-respectful  and 
considerate  of  others,  are  raj^idly  passing  into  history. 
I  have  sought  to  improve  its  lessons  as  it  passed. 
The  Great  Exposition,  which  has  been  the  memorial 
of  our  nation's  growth  and  our  indebtedness  to  God, 
the  proclamation  of  international  courtesy,  and  the 
symbol  of  that  universal  enterprise  and  outreaching 
of  the  active  human  intellect  and  skill  which  char- 
acterize our  country  and  our  age,  has  almost  disap- 
peared. But  its  influences  remain  ;  and  we  trust  they 
will  go  not  a  little  way  to  guard  us  against  the  evil 
results  of  the  intense  political  strife  which  marks  the 
closing  months  of  the  year,  the  peculiar  strain  to 


19 

which  our  institutions  are  now  subjected.  Surely  the 
loyalty  and  common  sense  of  tlie  nation  will  show 
the  world  whom  we  invited  to  celebrate  our  Centen- 
nial with  us,  that  there  is  vigor  enough  in  our  con- 
stitution and  legal  enactments  to  lift  us  out  of  these 
difficulties,  and  to  guard  against  their  recurrence  ; 
that  our  nation  is  more  than  a  party,  and  that  to  the 
great  majority  of  all  parties  patriotism  is  more  than 
self-seeking,  and  Law  more  than  trickery. 

We  must  also  notice  among  the  events  of  this 
period,  the  large  and  numerous  revivals  of  religion 
with  which  the  Church  has  been  favored,  the  devel- 
opment of  lay  preaching  in  connection  with  the 
revival  movements  of  the  last  few  years,  and  the 
special  efforts  to  reach  great  masses  of  the  people 
in  our  large  cities ;  also  the  new  forms  of  the 
Temperance  Reformation  and  woman's  work  in  it, 
as  well  as  in  Missions,  Home  and  Foreign ;  and  the 
increased  interest  in  the  Sunday  School  cause,  and 
the  study  of  the  Bible.  There  has  also  been  a  large 
development  of  the  spirit  of  Christian  unity,  differ- 
ent denominations  working  harmoniously  together, 
and  a  tendency  to  unite  organizations  that  are  similar 
in  their  general  outlines  of  doctrine  and  polity  and 
history. 

It  has  been  a  period  of  remarkable  mental  activity 
and  research.  Increased  light  has  been  thrown  upon 
the  Bible,  by  the  advance  of  science  in  various  de- 
partments— the  discovery  of  manuscripts,  researches 
in  Archaeology  and  Philology,  in  Geography  and 
Geology  and  History ;  and  the  creeds  and  customs 
of  the  Church  have  been  subjected  to  rigid  scrutiny. 
No  one  fails  to  observe  that  the  Christian  preaching 


20 

and  teaching-  of  the  day  differ  from  those  of  the  past : 
and  there  has  arisen  the  fear  that  we  have  departed, 
or  are  departing,  from  ''the  faith  once  delivered  to 
the  saints."  The  fear  is  not  unreasonable :  but  a 
careful  examination  will  show  that  while  the  thing 
feared  has  come  to  pass  to  some  extent,  still  in  the 
main  the  change  is  in  form  rather  than  in  substance  ; 
in  the  modes  of  presenting  truth,  rather  than  in  the 
truth  which  is  presented  as  fundamental  and  vital : 
perhaps  also  in  the  philosophy  of  religion,  the 
methods  of  viewing  and  explaining  certain  doctrines, 
rather  than  in  the  doctrines  themselves.  In  some 
quarters  there  may  be  a  disposition  to  substitute  sen- 
timent for  sound  doctrine,  and  a  gospel  of  manhood 
for  the  religion  which  abases  human  pride  and  exalts 
the  grace  of  God  :  but  these  are  exceptions  not  more 
numerous  nor  larger,  in  proportion  to  the  increased 
population  of  Christendom,  than  they  have  ever  been ; 
and  not  at  all  wonderful  in  view  of  the  waking  up 
of  the  human  mind  that  characterizes  our  time — the 
freedom  of  the  press,  the  independence  and  earnest- 
ness of  inquiry,  the  increase  and  equalizing  influence 
of  intelligence.  If  the  pulpit  seems  to  have  less 
power  than  formerly,  it  is  only  because  other  agen- 
cies in  enlightening  men  and  teaching  religious  truths 
have  come  into  prominence  and  extensive  use :  yet 
they,  without  the  pulpit,  would  be  shorn  of  their 
moral  power,  and  they  can  never  supplant  it  as  a 
spu'itual,  renovating,  and  saving  agency.  I  think 
there  has  been  a  gain  in  breadth  of  views  and  catho- 
licity of  feeling,  in  the  greater  prominence  given  to 
what  affects  the  practical  life,  and  in  directing  atten- 
tion to  the  person  and  work  of  Christ  as  the  centre 


21 

of  Christianity.  We  have  attained  to  some  wiser, 
because  more  correct,  interpretations  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. We  have,  perhaps,  in  our  preaching  less  phi- 
losophy, and  more  Bible — not  merely  more  quotations 
from  the  Bible,  but  more  of  the  Bible  truth  and 
Spirit.  Just  now  there  is  a  healthful  reaction  from 
the  vapid  sensationalism  which  threatened  to  submerge 
the  pulpit  and  dilute  Christianity,  and  a  call  for  sen- 
sible, instructive  preaching  and  teaching,  based  on 
the  clearly  perceived  meaning  of  the  Bible.  The 
gospel  of  mere  sentiment,  the  gospel  of  humanity,  is  at 
a  discount.  Men  feel  that  they  need  something  more 
substantial  for  the  uplifting  of  their  fallen  nature,  the 
saving  of  their  souls.  They  must  have  bread  from 
heaven  to  eat.  There  is  probably  less  preaching  of 
the  law,  less  holding  up  of  the  terrors  of  the  Lord, 
less  also  of  abstruse  metaphysics,  and  of  the  ''  dry 
bones  "  of  theology,  less  positive  demand  of  absolute 
acceptance  of  all  the  minutiae  of  the  Confessions  and 
their  explanations  as  held  by  any  particular  school ; 
but  the  old  truths  of  human  sinfulness,  of  personal 
guilt,  of  righteous  condemnation,  of  God's  mercy,  of 
Christ's  vicarious  suffering,  of  sovereign  grace  ready 
to  save — the  living  theology  of  the  Bible — still  main- 
tain their  ground,  and  form  the  staple  of  teaching  not 
only  in  our  Presbyterian  churches,  but  in  the  great 
body  of  Christendom.  Creeds  may  be  modified,  and 
theologians  die  ;  but  Christ  lives,  the  same  yesterday 
and  to-day  and  forever. 

''  Our  little  systems  have  their  day  ; 

They  have  their  day,  and  cease  to  be  : 
They  are  but  broken  lights  of  Thee, 
And  Thou,  0  Lord,  art  more  than  they." 


22 

Philosophies,  scepticisms,  disbeliefs  have  run  their 
course — old  ones  and  new  ones  are  now  dashing  them- 
selves against  the  rock  of  Christian  truth — but  they 
will  die,  while  the  word  of  the  Lord  abideth  forever. 
The  things  ''  which  the  prophets  and  Moses  did  say- 
should  come,  that  Christ  should  suffer,  and  that  He 
should  be  the  first  that  shoiJd  rise  from  the  dead,  and 
should  show  light  unto  the  people,  and  to  the  Gen- 
tiles," these  things  which  we  have  learned  from  our 
fathers  and  from  the  word  of  God,  and  which  have 
been  taught  all  these  years  in  this  pulpit — these  things 
stand  fast. 

The  world  is  in  commotion.  Great  changes  are 
going  on  in  States,  and  in  society,  and  even  in  the 
visible  Church.  But  Christ  is  gaining  dominion. 
The  gospel  has  made  wonderful  progress.  The  mis- 
sion work  has  had  large  success.  The  leavening 
influence  of  Christianity  is  potent,  and  silently  work- 
ing out  vast  results.  An  intelligent  and  careful 
writer  (Dr.  Clark,  Missionary  Herald,  November, 
1876,)  has  recently  said,  "the  number  of  evangelical 
believing  church  members  in  this  country  at  the 
present  time  is  far  greater  than  the  entire  number  in 
Christendom  in  1776  ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  there  is  more  real  aggressive  power  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  cause  of  Christ  put  forth  to-day,  at 
home  and  abroad  by  the  Christians  of  Scotland  or 
New  England  than  by  all  Protestantism  a  century 
ago."  "  We  are  come  to  an  age  of  intellectual  revolt 
against  the  errors  and  the  superstitions  of  the  past. 
It  is  not  confined  to  the  realm  of  Christendom,  but 
embraces  large  sections  of  the  heathen  world,  and 
soon  must  embrace  them  all.     The  light  of  modem 


23 

civilization  is  shining  in  on  the  dark  places  of  the 
earth,  and  men  are  waking  from  the  stupor  of  ages." 
The  river  of  holy  water  which  Ezekiel  (xlvii :  1-12) 
saw  in  vision  pouring  forth  from  the  Sanctuary  is 
spreading  its  deep  flood  over  the  earth,  carrying 
healing  to  all  the  nations.  Jesus  shall  reign  every- 
where. 

Our  history,  my  brethren,  shows  that  this  Church 
has  not  been  in  vain.  For  sixty-five  years  it  has 
been  holding  forth  the  truth,  and  working  for  God. 
The  original  93  are  now  represented  by  587.  The 
whole  number  that  have  been  connected  with  it,  is 
2204  Here  very  many  souls  have  been  born  into 
Christ's  kingdom.  Very  many  have  been  trained  in 
Christian  intelligence,  character  and  usefulness,  and 
this  Church  has  been  in  this  community  a  power  for 
good,  and  a  fountain  of  benefactions  and  of  healing 
influences  to  wider  and  distant  regions. 

I  trust  that  our  work  together  in  the  past  twenty- 
five  years  has  not  been  fruitless.  We  have  our  de- 
ficiencies and  faults  to  lament.  None  of  you  are  more 
sensible  of  these  tlian  is  your  Pastor  of  his  own. 
But  we  have  abundant  reason  to  thank  God  for  good 
accomplished.  Sadness  mingles  with  the  feelings  with 
which  we  review  the  past.  That  is  always  so.  Time 
brings  many  changes  of  sorrow  and  of  joy.  How 
many  who  were  here  when  I  was  installed  are  here 
no  longer  !  Nay,  how  few  of  the  older  persons  are 
here  to-day,  who  were  here  then !  There  is  not  a 
family  into  which  during  this  period  death  has  not 
come  !  Those  718  funerals  ;  over  how  wide  a  space 
have  they  spread  their  sorrows  !    In  how  many  hearts 


24 

have  they  engraved  the  ineffaceable  grief !  The  graves 
of  our  departed,  what  treasures  they  contain !  All 
down  these  twenty-five  years  they  have  been  leaving 
us  one  after  another,  father,  mother,  husband,  wife, 
child,  sister,  brother  !  To  some  of  us  it  is  but  as 
yesterday  that  they  were  here  with  us.  Ah,  yes  ! 
the  review  of  the  past  brings  them  all  before  us. 

"  The  youth  in  life's  green  spring,  and  he  who  goes 
In  the  full  strength  of  years,  matron  and  maid, 
And  the  sweet  babe,  and  the  gray  headed  man." 

It  repeoples  our  homes,  puts  back  the  little  babe  in 
the  empty  cradle,  and  fills  again  the  vacant  chair. 
But  the  changes  are  not  all  sorrowful,  and  even  many 
of  the  sorrows  are  beautiful.  Seen  now  through  our 
tears,  they  are  surrounded  with  a  heavenly  radiance, 
like  the  rainbow  that  comes  when  the  last  drops  of 
the  passing  shower  catch  and  reflect  and  refract  the 
rays  of  the  returning  sun. 

And  the  children  have  grown  up  to  be  men  and 
women,  and  other  children  have  been  born  ;  and  the 
new  generation  steps  into  the  places  of  the  old. 
Thank  God  for  our  joys ;  thank  Him  for  our  sancti- 
fied sorrows ;  thank  Him  for  sweet  memories  of  the 
departed ;  thank  Him  for  the  enlightening  and  soft- 
ening power  of  experience  and  faith,  which  enables 
us  to  look  back  and  see  that  the  soitow  which 
was  so  great  and  at  the  time  so  strange,  was  a  divine 
benediction. 

But  we  have  done  with  the  past,  except  as  we 
may  carry  its  marks  and  its  memories,  and  profit  by  its 
teachings  in  the  future.  We  have  our  present  re- 
sponsibilities and  privileges.  No  Church,  as  no  nation, 
can  five  on  its  history.    We  must  live  in  the  present. 


25 

A  Church  must  be  a  living  Church,  seizing*  upon 
present  opportunities,  adapting*  its  modes  of  working 
to  present  emergencies,  to  the  characteristics  of  its 
own  time,  fighting  the  sins  of  to-day,  meeting  the 
questions  and  problems  of  to-day,  telhng  ''  the  old, 
old  story "  in  the  language  of  to-day  and  so  as 
to  save  the  souls  that  are  dying  to-day ;  a  living 
Church,  not  fossilized,  and  resting  on  its  fine  history, 
or  its  orthodoxy,  or  its  social  position  ;  a  living,  work- 
ing Church. 

And  so  the  ministry  must  be  a  living  not  a  dead 
ministry :  not  a  ministry  going  through  a  routine, 
and  preaching  and  working  just  as  it  would  years 
ago,  without  inquiring  whether  there  is  need  of  new 
processes  and  new  thoughts.  We  believe  in  a  perma- 
nent as  contrasted  with  a  temporary  and  changing 
ministry.  Each  system  has  its  advantages.  The 
Churches  of  Newark  are  becoming  noted  for  retain- 
ing their  Pastors  many  years.  In  general  it  speaks 
well  for  the  Churches  and  the  ministers.  When  a 
minister  loses  his  interest  in  his  work,  or  in  his  parish, 
when  he  becomes  indolent  or  indifferent,  or  unable 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  position,  then  his 
ministry  should  close.  Much  is  said  about  Churches 
desiring  young  ministers.  There  is  no  fault  to  be  found 
with  that  if  it  be  not  carried  to  a  foolish  extreme  : 
then  it  punishes  itself.  Many  of  our  most  influential, 
active  and  laborious  ministers,  held  fast  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  are  men  considerably  past  middle  life. 
The  minister  must  take  care  not  to  grow  old  too  fast. 
He  must  keep  himself  fresh  and  young,  by  unremit- 
ting study,  by  sympathy  with  the  young,  by  a  wide 
awake  interest  in  passing  events,  by  familiarity  with 


26 

the  sources  of  information,  of  amusement,  of  occu- 
pation, of  perplexities,  that  are  open  to  him,  by  a 
ready  attention  to  occurring  events  and  calls  upon  him, 
by  a  warm  heart,  and  largely  by  forgetting  himself  in 
the  stirring  life  of  his  people  and  his  time,  and  by 
drinking  continually  at  the  well  of  salvation.  I 
hardly  know  whether  I  am  growing  old  or  not.  I 
should  not  think  so  at  all  were  it  not  that  I  know  that 
twenty-five  years  added  even  to  a  y(^ung  man's  life 
carry  him  forward,  and  that  I  see  others  growing  old 
around  me  :  and  that  I  am  called  sometimes  to  marry 
those  whom  I  baptized  as  children,  and  even  to  baptize 
their  children.  But  no  matter  about  the  years,  if 
there  only  be  vigor,  and  heart,  and  aptness  enough 
for  my  work.  Ha\dng  obtained  help  of  God  who 
has  led  me  through  all  these  years,  I  continue  unto 
this  day ;  and  by  His  help  I  shall  continue  to  preach 
among  you  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of  Grod, 
as  long  as  He  gives  me  strength  to  do  so  ;  or  until 
His  Providence  shall  indicate  that  my  ministry  shall 
cease. 

Let  us,  beloved  friends,  go  into  the  future,  with  a 
bright  and  cheery  confidence.  Let  us  ''go  in  this 
our  might."  May  God  grant  that  the  future  may  be 
even  brighter  than  the  past.  Oh  that  these  swift 
passing  weeks  may  witness  the  ingathering  into  the 
Church  of  dear  friends  to  whom  these  many  years  I 
have  preached,  for  whom  I  have  prayed.  The  past 
records  its  accumulated  responsibilities.  A  faithful 
ministry  however  feeble  must  witness  against  those 
who  neglect  it.  A  quarter  century  hence  where  shall 
we  be  1  How  many  of  us  will  be  living  then  ? 
Many  doubtless  of  those  who  hear  me,  and  myself 


27 

probably  with  them,  will  have  passed  away  from  the 
earth  ;  but  many  of  you  will  be  living  here,  and  with 
your  families  around  you  will  be  carrying  forward 
the  work  of  the  Church.  Many  of  the  children  and 
youth  here  to-day,  will  then  be  the  active  men  and 
women,  upholding  and  guiding  the  energies  and  life 
of  the  congregation.  In  the  growth  and  prosperity 
of  the  city  during  these  coming  years  may  you  bear 
your  part  and  enjoy  your  share,  and  be  able  at  the 
end  to  say,  "  Bless  the  Lord  for  all  His  benefits 
towards  us ;  for  these  harvest  sheaves  which  we  are 
permitted  to  pile  upon  His  altar." 

A  grand  field  is  spread  before  us.  Let  us  work  on 
cheerily,  people  and  pastor,  elders  and  trustees,  par- 
ents and  children,  teachers  and  scholars,  work  on, 
sowing  in  faith,  with  love  and  prayerfulness,  confi- 
dent that  a  harvest  will  come  in  the  future  as  it  has 
in  the  past. 

"  Sow  ye  beside  all  waters, 

Where  tlie  clews  of  heaven  may  fall ; 
Ye  shall  reap  if  ye  be  not  weary, 
.  For  the  Spirit  breathes  o'er  all. 

Sow,  though  the  thorns  may  wound  thee  ; 

One  wore  the  thorns  for  thee — 
And  though  the  cold  world  scorn  thee, 

Patient  and  hopeful  be. 
Sow  ye  beside  all  waters 

With  a  blessing  and  a  prayer  j 
Name  Him  whose  hand  upholds  us, 

And  sow  thou  everywhere. 

Sow,  though  the  rock  repel  thee 

In  its  cold  and  sterile  pride ; 
Some  cleft  there  may  be  riven, 

Where  the  little  seed  may  hide. 


28 

Fear  not,  for  some  may  flourish, 

And,  though  the  tares  abound. 
Like  the  willows  by  the  waters. 

Will  the  scattered  grain  be  found. 
Work  while  the  daylight  lasteth, 

Ere  the  shades  of  night  come  on  ; 
Ere  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  cometh, 

And  the  laborer's  work  is  done. 

Work  !  in  the  wild  waste  places, 

Though  none  thy  love  may  own  : 
God  guides  the  down  of  the  thistle 

The  wandering  wind  hath  sown. 
Will  Jesus  chide  thy  weakness, 

Or  call  thy  labor  vain  ? 
The  word  that  for  Him  thou  bearest, 

Shall  return  to  Him  again. 
On  !  with  thine  heart  in  heaven. 

Thy  strength  in  thy  Master's  might, 
Till  the  wild  waste  places  blossom 

In  the  warmth  of  a  Saviour's  light. 

Watch  not  the  clouds  above  thee. 

Let  the  whirlwind  round  thee  sweep 
God  may  the  seed-time  give  thee, 

But  another's  hand  may  reap. 
Have  faith,  though  ne'er  beholding 

The  seed  burst  from  its  tomb  ; 
Thou  knowest  not  which  may  perish, 

Or  what  be  spared  to  bloom. 
Room  on  the  narrowest  ridges 

The  ripened  grain  will  find. 
That  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  coming 

In  the  harvest  sheaves  may  bind." 


Princeton  Theological  Seminat7  Libraries 


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